Free Human Rights Activist And Journalist Abolfazl Abedini

UPDATE Radio Zamaneh 08/16/2013

Hunger-striking prisoner in poor health, says mother

Abolfazl Abedini, an Iranian political prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 20 days, is in grave health, his mother reports.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports that Abedini’s mother visited him on Wednesday August 14 and saw his severe weight loss. She reports that he has refused to end his strike.

Abedini, a journalist and human rights activist, was recently transferred from Tehran’s Evin Prison to Karoon Prison in Ahwaz. He has begun a hunger strike to protest the transfer and the refusal of authorities to grant him any furloughs.

Abedini was sentenced to 11 years in jail, which was later increased to 12 by Judge Maghiseh.

Source : Radio Zamaneh
http://archive.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/hunger-striking-prisoner-poor-health-says-mother
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

UPDATE Lalehsr July 30, 2013

44 political prisoners protest
the exile of Abolfazl Abedini to Ahvaz prison

In a letter, 44 political prisoners protested the exile of Abolfazl Abedini and demanded that he be returned to Evin prison. Abedini has recounted how he witnessed the signs of torture inflicted on Sattar Beheshti before his death.

According to the Keleme website, jailed journalist Abolfazl Abedini was at Evin’s public Ward 350 when Sattar Beheshti was transferred there and testified before the magistrate (Shahryari) investigating the cause of death of Sattar Beheshti while in custody of the police force. In his testimony Abedini recounted how he saw visible signs of severe torture inflicted on Sattar Beheshti’s body.

On Saturday Abolfazl Abedini who had been assured of no repercussions for his testimony was suddenly transferred from Evin prison to Karoon prison in Ahvaz. He immediately launched a hunger strike in protest of his illegal transfer and announced he would stay on hunger strike until his return to Evin prison.

With consideration to the workings of the justice system and the behavior of those in charge of the court dossier, it seems unlikely that there will be any resolution in the pursuit of justice for the cause of death case of Sattar Beheshti, blogger who lost his life during interrogations at the police detention center. Abolfazl Abedini who witnessed what happened to Sattar and testified to what he saw, is punished in order to dissuade other witnesses from testifying.

Following is the letter signed by 44 political prisoners provided to Kaleme:

***

Saturday of this week Abolfazl Abedini, political prisoner who has been held behind bars for 4 years without furlough, was illegally transferred from Evin Ward 350 to Ahvaz prison. Like many other Green activists, this citizen who loves Iran was robbed of his youth for his diligence in pursuing his goals to better his country, and for his human rights work – he was handed a severe and unjust sentence of 12.5 years in prison.

While in prison, despite his personal limitations Abedini has taken responsibility and protected other prisoners who have been subjected to abuse and oppression while behind bars. One such case was his courageous testimony to the signs of severe torture he had witnessed on Sattar Beheshti’s body. As a result, it is not farfetched for us to assume that Abedini was exiled because of his efforts in preventing the lack of justice for Sattar’s spilled blood.

We the signatories denounce the unjust deportation of Ablofazl Abedini, and demand that he immediately be transferred back. We ask the judicial apparatus to look into the current practices used against political prisoners who are handed heavy prison sentences and unjustified exile.

1) Mohammad Ebrahimi

2) Hasan Asadi Zeidabadi

3) Amir Eslami

4) Reza Entesari

5) Ebrahim Babayi

6) Mostafa Badkoubei

7) Emad Bahavar

8) Omid Behrouzi

9) Ghorban Behzadian Nejad

10) Seyed Alireza Beheshti Shirazi

11) Kamyar Parsa

12) Masoud Pedram

13) Mehdi Tajik

14) Nader Jani

15) Amin Chalaki

16) Siyavosh Hatam

17) Ali Khodabakhsh

18) Mehdi Khodayi

19) Mostafa Daneshjoo

20) Mohammad Davari

21) Amir Khosro Dalirsani

22) Alireza Rajai

23) Mohammad Rezayi

24) Alireza Roshan

25) Seyed Hossein Ronaghi Maleki

26) Mostafa Rismanbaf

27) Hossein Zarini

28) Abdolfattah Soltani

29) Mostafa Abdi

30) Feyzollah Arabsorkhi

31) Behzad Arabgol

32) Siyamak Ghaderi

33) Afshin Karampour

34) Hamid Karvasi

35) Jaafar Ganji

36) Hamidreza Moradi

37) Saeed Madani

38) Abdollah Momeni

39) Mohsen Mirdamadi

40) Nasour Naghipour

41) Mohammad Amin Hadavi

42) Seyed Ahmad Hashemi

43) Farshid Yadollahi

44) Mohammad Hasan Yousefpour

***

Kaleme http://www.kaleme.com/1392/05/08/klm-153238/

Source : lalehsr
http://lalehsr.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/44-political-prisoners-protest-the-exile-of-abolfazl-abedini-to-ahvaz-prison/

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

UPDATE RADIO ZAMANEH 07/28/2013

Witness in Beheshti case transferred once more.

Iranian political prisoner Abolfazl Abedini was once again transferred from Tehran to Ahwaz Prison on Saturday July 27.

The Jaras Website reports that as Abedini was being taken away, the prisoners protested against the actions of the authorities by chanting “Death to Dictator!”

Earlier this week, another political prisoner, Ali Nazeri, was transferred from Evin Prison.

Abolfazl Abedini, a jailed labour activist, is serving an 11-year prison sentence. He was transferred to Ahwaz Prison in October and returned briefly as ordered by Tehran’s Prosecutor.

Some reports indicate that his transfer was related to his being a material witness in the controversial case of blogger Sattar Beheshti, who died while in custody of the Cyber Police.

Source : Radio Zamaneh
http://archive.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/witness-beheshti-case-transferred-once-more
_ _ _ _ _ _ _

UPDATE CHRR March 20, 2013

The witness and the accused trade places; Abolfazl Abedini charged with “propaganda against the regime”

According to the Kaleme website, despite the fact that months have passed since political prisoner [and blogger] Sattar Beheshti was killed while in custody [a week after his arrest on October 30], the government probe into his death at the Fata detention center is still ongoing. Instead of the perpetrators of the torture and death being indicted, the chief witness in the investigation has been charged with “propaganda against the regime.”

Abolfazl Abedini appeared as a witness in front of the judge in charge of the case file for the death of prisoner Sattar Beheshti. He asked the judge to not allow a repetition of the Kahrizak prison events by turning the witness into the accused. However only 2 days after his testimony, in an unusual move this political prisoner was suddenly transferred to Ahvaz prison. Abedini announced that he would launch a hunger strike in protest and other prisoners followed suit to show their support. In result after one week, Abedini was returned to Ward 350 of Evin prison.

Forty-one political prisoners in Evin prison issued a letter following Beheshti’s death, emphasizing that they had witnessed the signs of torture and beatings on his body before he was taken from ward 350 for the final round of interrogations.

In their witness letter the prisoners said: [Beheshti] was seen by prisoners in Ward 350. He was hung from the ceiling by security officials and beaten. Then his arms and legs were tied to a chair and he was beaten again. At times they would cuff his hands to a beam and beat him up, and at times his interrogators threw him on the ground and kicked him in the head and neck with their boots. While they beat him, they also tormented him with verbal abuse, profanity and extremely offensive tongue-lashings, and threatened to kill him. When they brought Sattar to Ward 350 the signs of torture were visible on all parts of his body and he was in agonizing pain. His face was bruised, his head was injured, and his wrists were swollen with prominent signs of being hung from the ceiling. Inflammation and intense bruising as a result of blows to his body were also seen around his neck and stomach.

Despite the fact that even the Judiciary spokesman has confirmed the evidence of beatings on Sattar Beheshti’s body, Abolfazl Abedini who testified to witnessing the grave physical state of the deceased is now charged with “propaganda against the regime.”

Abolfazl Abedini, journalist and activist, is among the political prisoners who were arrested in 2009 during the aftermath of the contested presidential elections. He was held in custody for 4 months before being released on bail and was later handed an 11-year prison sentence. The journalist was detained again later in the year, this time by the Revolutionary Guards Corps, charged with “propaganda against the regime,” and handed an additional one-year prison sentence, totaling 12 years and was deprived of taking his university exams.

Abedini has served 3 years behind bars without furlough, and has endured periods of severe torture in solitary confinement during this time resulting in his deteriorating health. Now he faces additional time in prison due to his testimony regarding Sattar Beheshti’s death.

_ _ _ _ _ _

Issuing impossible bail and depriving of university exams for Abolfazl Abedini

HRANA 10 FEBRUARY 2013

HRANA News Agency– Officials issued 900 million tomans bail for Abolfazl Abedini's medical furlough and prevented him to take his university exams.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), judiciary officials issued a 900 million tomans bail for Abolfazl Abedini Nasr's medical furlough.

Abolfazl Abedini Nasr, the journalist and one of the ex-administrators of Human Rights Activists group in Iran who sentenced to 12 years imprisonment is suffering of heart disease and now that he granted for medical furlough the officials asked a 900 million tomans bail which is canceling the medical furlough practically.

He already passed 3 years of 12 years imprisonment and the officials in a rare act issued 100 million tomans bail for each year of left imprisonment period.

"Officials canceled his university exams and Abedini with 14 more prisoners deprived of taking the university exams", one of his relatives said to HRANA reporter.

"The prison officials have not given any clarification about this decision which is illegal according to the internal regulations of prisons.", He added.

Abolfazl Abedini sentenced to 11 years imprisonment in March 2010 by branch one of Ahwaz revolutionary court. His verdict delivered to his lawyer, Mohammad Oliaie Fard, and while he had two weeks to appeal it, in les than one week the branch 11 of provincial appealed confirmed the verdict.

The judiciary officials were not been satisfied by the verdict and in April 2011 by a new dossier sentenced Abolfazl Abedini to 1 year imprisonment on charge of propaganda against regime.

This human rights activist arrested at his home by invasion of more than armed security forces on March 1st of 2011 through the intelligence department scenario against human rights activists.

He has been tortured and traumatized during his detention in islamic revolutionary guards ward 2 and hospitalized at clinic of Evin prison many times as one of the consequences of tortures on him.

Translated by: Ramyar Hassani